what are good 'big' gifts for 1st year birthday?

[spu]

My parents want to get us something special (er- big...) for the babies first birthday and the only thing I can think of is a wagon. Is there something else that would be great to have for the babies as they grow into their second year of life? I'm not a huge fan of the motorized toys and we don't have the space, but we do have space for a swing set, or somthing like that.

What kinds of other stuff are really helpful to have for 12-24 mos old? We just bought 2 marathons, so we're all set with car seats for a while and we have booster seats for dining. What am I missing?

thanks!!

susan

twin girls 7.20.02
charlotte & else

[Andrea S]

I am trying to decide myself what to get Andrew. I thought about one of those tables from OSA that has the water in one side and sand in the other or a kettler trike. I am going to find somewhere I can try the trikes out in person.

I am looking forward to seeing what everyone suggests.

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02

[egoldber]

They will soon be starting imaginative and pretend play. How about a kitchen set or a tool shop? Little Tikes makes nice ones. Or a playhouse? If you have a park near you, then the swing set may not be so worthwhile, but if you don't then that would be nice.

Also, there is the Little Tikes Activity Garden. They are a perfect age for it and kids play with it for a long time. They are nolonger made new, but you can find them on many websites.

A wagon is also a terrific idea.

HTH,

[Karenn]

It's not especially big, but we got Colin the Fisher Price Little People Garage with some accessories. He's been loving it so far. Also, my parents got him some Little Tikes play equipment. Of course the best presents in Colin's opinion were the boxes that everything came in! :)

[jojo2324]

Ooooh, OT a little bit, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN!!! Goodness, it's been a year!? I cannot believe how all of our little ones are growing up so fast! sniff! :)

[brubeck]

I would say the Neurosmith Jumbo Music Block or Little People toys. The Farm seems to be especially popular with the younger kids and you can take out the batteries if the electronic animal noises drive you nuts.

[nigele]

I almost forgot (silly me!) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO COLIN! Oh, my goodness - I can't believe he is ONE!!!!!!

[nigele]

I'm planning on getting Tom a Kettler trike for his birthday. Kettler makes tandem trikes so two kids can ride at once! They also sell a push-bar and seat belts so you can push them around and they won't fall off! I was also considering getting him a Radio Flyer walker wagon with money from his grandparents.

We have the Little Tikes Garden which Tom absolutely loves!!

[muskiesusan]

I agree with Beth on the kitchen or tool bench. Nicholas loves to do whatever it is we are doing, so he cooks at his kitchen when I cook, and he hammers, well all the time.

Susan
WAHM to Nicholas 10/01/01

[Andrea S]

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN!!!

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02

[colleenfs]

Definitely a kitchen, playhouse, or outdoor play set. I really like the Step 2 products. They are more expensive than the other brands, but they are very well made and durable. A Kettler trike is also a very nice gift.

Happy birthday to the twins!

Colleen
Mama to Julia 1-10-02

[Karenn]

Thanks everyone! We had a great birthday!

[lukkykatt]

We just got a Step 2 Kangaroo climber for my little guy's first birthday. He really likes it, as does his older brother. We also received the Little Tykes Activity Garden, which he really likes too. He has been playing with some of the Little People sets for a few months now - he especially likes the house, which was a hand-me-down from my SIL. I also got a kitchen on sale, which I put away for Christmas - yes, my house does look like TRU!

[sugarsnappea]

All of the above are terrific choices. One of my favorite gifts that DD received for her 1st Bday was an Apex Rollercoaster. It looks like a wacky abacus, with colorful, wooden beads that slide on different tracks. You see it a lot in Peds offices and portrait studios. My DD is 2 and still loves this toy. It has helped her learn colors and now she is learning to count. :D

[lvp49]

We got my daughter the red car that looks like a VW bug and has the parent handle to push from Step 2. She loves it still, and she's 2.

It was perfect for then, and we will probabaly get another year fom it, and its still in great shape. Not too $$$ either.

[ginalc]

At 12 months, DD was VERY active and into jumping off the furniture. To save my sanity and the house, we bought the Little Tykes 8-in-1 Playground for our living room. OK, our living room is big, but we push it up against the wall and only use one of the slides so it kind of blends in. :)

I tried a few other climbers, but found that this one had the best long-term use. When we originally got it, my 10 yr old was able to play on/in comfortably with 3 of her friends. It makes a great play house, too!

Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00001R3OL/qid=1056112884/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-2709893-2722232?v=glance&s=toys&n=507846

gina, mom to 3

[parkersmama]

One of my favorite gifts for this age is the Tomy Ballplay stuff. Both my boys really loved the roll around tower. It's noisy but lots of fun!

[ddmarsh]

What about one of the Step 2 or Little Tykes houses? I think most people put them outside but we have one that we've kept in our basement for indoor year-round use and it worked out really well. We have one that comes with a kitchen type area built in and DS#3 really played in it alot. Now it doesn't get much use but I'm saving it for Lily and because it's been kept indoors it's in brand-new condition. You could also get a Little Tykes larger climbing toy for outdoors.

I'll also second the Kettlers, they are great bikes and even after a couple year's of use are in great condition. We had had other tricycles but they always rusted and/or didn't hold up very well long-term.

Debbie

[elf]

I would get some sort of push and/or pull toy - my daughter got a wagon that came filled with Mega-Bloks and pulls it with her everywhere. We also gave her a push tonka dump truck that she loves to put things in and push around.

Get a couple of toddler-sized furniture pieces, too, like a table and chair. IKEA has a lot of nice toddler chairs - including one reminiscent of their "poang" chair that is tres cute.